^16:12and from there to Philippi,⁴⁸ which is a leading city of that district⁴⁹ of Macedonia,⁵⁰ a Roman colony.⁵¹ We stayed in this city for some days. ^16:13On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down⁵² and began to speak⁵³ to the women⁵⁴ who had assembled there.⁵⁵^16:14A⁵⁶ woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth⁵⁷ from the city of Thyatira,⁵⁸ a God-fearing woman, listened to us.⁵⁹ The Lord opened her heart to respond⁶⁰ to what Paul was saying. ^16:15After she and her household were baptized, she urged us,⁶¹ “If⁶² you consider me to be a believer in the Lord,⁶³ come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded⁶⁴ us.

Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

^16:16Now⁶⁵ as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means.⁶⁶ She⁶⁷ brought her owners⁶⁸ a great profit by fortune-telling.⁶⁹^16:17She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out,⁷⁰ “These men are servants⁷¹ of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way⁷² of salvation.”⁷³^16:18She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed,⁷⁴ and turned⁷⁵ and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ⁷⁶ to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once.⁷⁷^16:19But when her owners⁷⁸ saw their hope of profit⁷⁹ was gone, they seized⁸⁰ Paul and Silas and dragged⁸¹ them into the marketplace before the authorities. ^16:20When⁸² they had brought them⁸³ before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion.⁸⁴ They are⁸⁵ Jews ^16:21and are advocating⁸⁶ customs that are not lawful for us to accept⁸⁷ or practice,⁸⁸ since we are⁸⁹ Romans.”

^16:22The crowd joined the attack⁹⁰ against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes⁹¹ off Paul and Silas⁹² and ordered them to be beaten with rods.⁹³^16:23After they had beaten them severely,⁹⁴ they threw them into prison and commanded⁹⁵ the jailer to guard them securely. ^16:24Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell⁹⁶ and fastened their feet in the stocks.⁹⁷

^16:25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying⁹⁸ and singing hymns to God,⁹⁹ and the rest of¹⁰⁰ the prisoners were listening to them. ^16:26Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds¹⁰¹ of all the prisoners came loose. ^16:27When the jailer woke up¹⁰² and saw the doors of the prison standing open,¹⁰³ he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,¹⁰⁴ because he assumed¹⁰⁵ the prisoners had escaped. ^16:28But Paul called out loudly,¹⁰⁶ “Do not harm yourself,¹⁰⁷ for we are all here!” ^16:29Calling for lights, the jailer¹⁰⁸ rushed in and fell down¹⁰⁹ trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. ^16:30Then he brought them outside¹¹⁰ and asked, “Sirs, what must¹¹¹ I do to be saved?” ^16:31They replied,¹¹² “Believe¹¹³ in the Lord Jesus¹¹⁴ and you will be saved, you and your household.” ^16:32Then¹¹⁵ they spoke the word of the Lord¹¹⁶ to him, along with all those who were in his house. ^16:33At¹¹⁷ that hour of the night he took them¹¹⁸ and washed their wounds;¹¹⁹ then¹²⁰ he and all his family¹²¹ were baptized right away.¹²²^16:34The jailer¹²³ brought them into his house and set food¹²⁴ before them, and he rejoiced greatly¹²⁵ that he had come to believe¹²⁶ in God, together with his entire household.¹²⁷^16:35At daybreak¹²⁸ the magistrates¹²⁹ sent their police officers,¹³⁰ saying, “Release those men.” ^16:36The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying,¹³¹ “The magistrates have sent orders¹³² to release you. So come out now and go in peace.”¹³³^16:37But Paul said to the police officers,¹³⁴ “They had us beaten in public¹³⁵ without a proper trial¹³⁶—even though we are Roman citizens¹³⁷—and they threw us¹³⁸ in prison. And now they want to send us away¹³⁹ secretly? Absolutely not! They¹⁴⁰ themselves must come and escort us out!”¹⁴¹^16:38The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas¹⁴² were Roman citizens¹⁴³^16:39and came¹⁴⁴ and apologized to them. After¹⁴⁵ they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly¹⁴⁶ to leave the city. ^16:40When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then¹⁴⁷ departed.

Read in Logos

Acts 16:30–31: Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Footnotes

48 For location see ; ; ; .
49 Or perhaps, “a city in the first district” (there are a number of textual variants). L&N 1.85 follow the text of and here: “In Ac 16:12 … the Greek New Testament published by the United Bible Societies has adopted a conjectural emendation, since the more traditional text, πρώτη τῆς μερίδος, literally ‘first of the district,’ is not only misleading in meaning but does not reflect the historical fact that Philippi was a city in one of the four districts of Macedonia but was not a capital city.” The original text is probably πρώτη τῆς μερίδος (prōtē tēs meridos, “first of that district”) as found in 𝔓74 א A C Ψ 33vid 36 81 323 945 1175 1891 . This has traditionally been translated to give the impression that Philippi was the capital city of the district, but it does not necessarily have to be translated this way. The translation of the article before μερίδος as “that” acknowledges that there were other districts in the province of Macedonia.
50 Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
51 A Roman colony was a city whose residents were regarded as Roman citizens, since such cities were originally colonized by citizens of Rome. From Troas to Philippi was 130 mi (208 km).
52 Grk “and sitting down we began to speak.” The participle καθίσαντες (kathisantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
53 The imperfect verb ἐλαλοῦμεν (elaloumen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
54 To the women. Apparently there were not enough Jews present in Philippi to have a synagogue (ten men would have been required to have one).
55 The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
56 Grk “And a.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
57 On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see πορφυρόπωλις.
58 Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia in Asia Minor.
59 The words “to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
60 Although προσέχω 2.b gives the meaning “pay attention to” here, this could be misunderstood by the modern English reader to mean merely listening intently. The following context, however, indicates that Lydia responded positively to Paul’s message, so the verb here was translated “to respond.” Lydia is one of several significant women in Acts (see 17:4, 12, 34; 18:20).
61 Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
62 This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.
63 Or “faithful to the Lord.” πίστος 2 states concerning this verse, “Of one who confesses the Christian faith believing or a believer in the Lord, in Christ, in God πιστ. τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 16:15.” L&N 11.17 has “one who is included among the faithful followers of Christ—‘believer, Christian, follower.’ ”
64 Although παραβιάζομαι has “urge strongly, prevail upon,” in contemporary English “persuade” is a more frequently used synonym for “prevail upon.”
65 Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
66 Or “who had a spirit of divination”; Grk “who had a spirit of Python.” According to πύθων, originally Πύθων (Puthōn) was the name of the serpent or dragon that guarded the Delphic oracle. According to Greek mythology, it lived at the foot of Mount Parnassus and was killed by Apollo. From this, the word came to designate a person who was thought to have a spirit of divination. Pagan generals, for example, might consult someone like this. So her presence here suggests a supernatural encounter involving Paul and her “spirit.” W. Foerster, 6:920, connects the term with ventriloquism but states: “We must assume, however, that for this girl, as for those mentioned by Origen …, the art of ventriloquism was inseparably connected with a (supposed or authentic) gift of soothsaying.” It should also be noted that if the girl in question here were only a ventriloquist, the exorcism performed by Paul in v. 18 would not have been effective.
67 Grk “who.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who had a spirit … who brought her owners a great profit”) the relative pronoun here (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“she”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
68 Or “masters.”
69 On this term see μαντεύομαι. It was used of those who gave oracles.
70 Grk “crying out, saying”; the participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated. The imperfect verb ἔκραζεν (ekrazen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect.
71 Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in . The translation “servants” was used here because in this context there appears to be more emphasis on the activity of Paul and his companions (“proclaiming to you the way of salvation”) than on their status as “slaves of the Most High God.”
72 Or “a way.” The grammar of this phrase is a bit ambiguous. The phrase in Greek is ὁδὸν σωτηρίας (hodon sōtērias). Neither the head noun nor the genitive noun has the article; this is in keeping with Apollonius’ Canon (see ). Since both nouns are anarthrous, this construction also fits Apollonius’ Corollary (see ); since the genitive noun is abstract it is most naturally qualitative, so the head noun could either be definite or indefinite without being unusual as far as the grammar is concerned. Luke’s usage of ὁδός elsewhere is indecisive as far as this passage is concerned. However, when one looks at the historical background it is clear that (1) the woman is shut up (via exorcism) not because her testimony is false but because of its source (analogous to Jesus’ treatment of demons perhaps), and (b) “the way” is a par excellence description of the new faith throughout Acts. It thus seems that at least in Luke’s presentation “the way of salvation” is the preferred translation.
73 Proclaiming to you the way of salvation. The remarks were an ironic recognition of Paul’s authority, but he did not desire such a witness, possibly for fear of confusion. Her expression the Most High God might have been understood as Zeus by the audience.
74 Grk “becoming greatly annoyed.” The participle διαπονηθείς (diaponētheis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The aorist has been translated as an ingressive aorist (entry into a state or condition). See διαπονέομαι.
75 Grk “and turning.” The participle ἐπιστρέψας (epistrepsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
76 Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
77 ὥρα 2.c has “at that very time, at once, instantly” for the usage in this verse.
78 Or “masters.”
79 On this use of ἐργασία (ergasia), see 4. It is often the case that destructive practices and commerce are closely tied together.
80 Grk “was gone, seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
81 On the term ἕλκω (helkō) see 1.
82 Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
83 Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”
84 ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.
85 Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (huparchontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
86 Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.
87 Or “acknowledge.”
88 Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).
89 Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
90 L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepestē) in this verse.
91 Grk “tearing the clothes off them, the magistrates ordered.” The participle περιρήξαντες (perirēxantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Although it may be possible to understand the aorist active participle περιρήξαντες in a causative sense (“the magistrates caused the clothes to be torn off Paul and Silas”) in the mob scene that was taking place, it is also possible that the magistrates themselves actively participated. This act was done to prepare them for a public flogging (2 Cor 11:25; 1 Thess 2:2).
92 Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
93 The infinitive ῥαβδίζειν (rhabdizein) means “to beat with rods or sticks” (as opposed to fists or clubs, ῥαβδίζω).
94 Grk “Having inflicted many blows on them.” The participle ἐπιθέντες (epithentes) has been taken temporally. ἐπιτίθημι 1.a.β has “inflict blows upon someone” for this expression, but in this context it is simpler to translate in English as “they had beaten them severely.”
95 Grk “commanding.” The participle παραγγείλαντες (parangeilantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
96 Or “prison.”
97 L&N 6.21 has “stocks” for εἰς τὸ ξύλον (eis to xulon) here, as does ξύλον 2.b. However, it is also possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied. Such a possibility is suggested by v. 26, where the “bonds” (“chains”?) of the prisoners loosened.
98 Grk “praying, were singing.” The participle προσευχόμενοι (proseuchomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
99 Praying and singing hymns to God. Tertullian said, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven” (To the Martyrs 2; cf. Rom 5:3; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 5:6). The presence of God means the potential to be free (cf. v. 26).
100 The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
101 Or perhaps, “chains.” The translation of τὰ δεσμά (ta desma) is to some extent affected by the understanding of ξύλον (xulon, “stocks”) in v. 24. It is possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied.
102 L&N 23.75 has “had awakened” here. It is more in keeping with contemporary English style, however, to keep the two verbal ideas parallel in terms of tense (“when the jailer woke up and saw”) although logically the second action is subsequent to the first.
103 The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.
104 Was about to kill himself. The jailer’s penalty for failing to guard the prisoners would have been death, so he contemplated saving the leaders the trouble (see Acts 12:19; 27:42).
105 Or “thought.”
106 Grk “But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying.” The dative phrase μεγάλῃ φωνῇ (megalē phōnē) has been simplified as an English adverb (“loudly”), and the participle λέγων (legōn) has not been translated since it is redundant in English.
107 Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.
108 Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
109 Or “and prostrated himself.” Fell down. The earthquake and the freeing of the prisoners showed that God’s power was present. Such power could only be recognized. The open doors opened the jailer’s heart.
110 Grk “And bringing them outside, he asked.” The participle προαγαγών (proagagōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the conjunction “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
111 The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.
112 Grk “said.”
113 Here the summary term of response is a call to believe. In this context it refers to trusting the sovereign God’s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer.
114 The majority of add Χριστόν (Christon, “Christ”) here (C D E Ψ 1739 𝔐 sy sa), but the best and earliest witnesses read simply τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν (ton kurion Iēsoun, “the Lord Jesus”; 𝔓74vid א A B 33 81 bo). The addition of “Christ” to “Lord Jesus” is an obviously motivated reading. Thus on both external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.
115 Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.
116 The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
117 Grk “And at.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
118 Grk “taking them … he washed.” The participle παραλαβών (paralabōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
119 On this phrase λούω 1 gives a literal translation as “by washing he freed them from the effects of the blows.”
120 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
121 All his family. It was often the case in the ancient world that conversion of the father led to the conversion of all those in the household.
122 Or “immediately.”
123 Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
124 Grk “placed [food] on the table” (a figurative expression). Since the actual word for food is not specified, it would also be possible to translate “set a meal before them,” but since this is taking place in the middle of the night, the preparations necessary for a full meal would probably not have been made. More likely Paul and Silas were given whatever was on hand that needed little or no preparation.
125 Or “he was overjoyed.”
126 The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.
127 The phrase “together with his entire household” is placed at the end of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and the belief. A formal equivalence translation would have “and he rejoiced greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in God,” but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33 presumes that all in the household believed.
128 The translation “day is breaking” for ῥμέρα γίνεται (hēmera ginetai) in this verse is given by ῥμέρα 1.a.
129 On the term translated “magistrates,” see στρατηγός 1. These city leaders were properly called duoviri, but were popularly known as praetors (στρατηγοί, stratēgoi). They were the chief officials of Philippi. The text leaves the impression that they came to the decision to release Paul and Silas independently. God was at work everywhere.
130 On the term ῥαβδοῦχος (rhabdouchos) see The term was used of the Roman lictor and roughly corresponds to contemporary English “constable, policeman.”
131 The word “saying” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; it is necessary in English because the content of what the jailer said to Paul and Silas is not the exact message related to him by the police officers, but is a summary with his own additions.
132 The word “orders” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
133 Grk “So coming out now go in peace.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelthontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
134 Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
135 Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
136 Or “in public, uncondemned.” ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.
137 The participle ὑπάρχοντας (huparchontas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
138 The word “us” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
139 L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.
140 Grk “But they.”
141 They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.
142 Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
143 Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.
144 Grk “and coming, they apologized.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elthontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
145 Grk “and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
146 The verb ἐρώτων (erōtōn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” brings out the iterative force in the translation.
147 “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.